1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for preparing food and, more particularly, to an electromechanical apparatus comprising a turntable and base for supporting the food while it is being prepared, weight circuitry for measuring the weight of the food as it is being prepared, digital processing circuitry for receiving weight information from the weight circuitry and for converting the information into weight information suitable for display, and display means for receiving information from the digital processing circuitry and for displaying a digital number which corresponds to the weight of the food on the turntable. The present invention is particularly well suited for weighing a cake and displaying the weight of the cake as it is being decorated.
Typically, grocery stores and bakeries sell, for example, certain types of cakes which, once prepared and decorated, should have a weight which is approximately equal to the weight specified for the particular type of cake. Whether or not a particular type of cake, once prepared and decorated, has the correct weight, depends on how accurately the person preparing the cake applies the icing and decorations. Currently, many grocery stores purchase cakes which are unprepared and undecorated when they arrive at the grocery store bakery/deli. The employee then prepares and decorates the cakes in accordance with specifications or directions supplied by the corporate office for each type of cake. One of the specifications is the type and amount of icing and other decorations to be provided on a particular type of cake. At present, employees generally have to approximate the amount of icing and decorations applied to the cakes. This is an extremely costly and inefficient method for gauging the amount of icing and decorations to be applied to cakes.
It is critical to accurately measure the amount of icing that is applied to a cake due to the fact that icing may represent, in many cases, as much as 40-50% of the product's total cost. The impact on commercial and retail profitability can be significant. The same concerns can apply for other food items, such as pizza, pies, and any other types of food products for which it is desirable to observe the weight of the food product as it is being prepared.
2. Prior Art
Haapala, U.S. Pat. No. 4,074,656, discloses a turntable for supporting a cake while it is being decorated wherein the axis of the turntable can be tipped so as to facilitate the application of decoration to the side of a cake. Haapala is primarily directed to providing a turntable which facilitates the cake decorator in decorating the sides of the cake. Haapala is not concerned with, nor are means provided for, ascertaining the amount of icing and decorations being applied to a cake.
C. R. Lindquist, U.S. Pat. No. 3,420,210, discloses a large turntable for supporting a cake while the cake is being decorated and smaller turntables for supporting icing to be formed into roses. The turntables are automatically driven at a slow speed by an electric motor. In operation, icing to be applied to a cake is placed by an employee or other person on the upper surface of the cake which is located on the larger turntable. A comb device having sawtooth edges positioned in the horizontal and vertical directions engages the icing on the side and top surfaces of the cake and spreads the icing as the cake rotates. Once the icing has been applied to the cake, a suitable utensil is used to smooth the icing on the top and the sides of the cake to remove the ridges formed by the sawtooth edges of the comb. Roses are formed on the smaller turntables by a skilled person as the smaller turntables rotate. As the icing roses harden, they are removed from the smaller turntables and placed on top of the cake. The apparatus does not comprise means for measuring or displaying the weight of the cake or the icing. Icing is merely deposited on the cake by the cake decorator and the comb having the sawtooth edges spreads the icing as the cake rotates. Similarly, icing to be formed into roses is placed on the smaller turntables by the cake decorator.
Both Haapala and C. R. Lindquist are directed at facilitating the cake decorating process. Neither of these patents disclose means for determining the weight of a cake or the weight of the icing applied thereto.
Morino et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,615,405, discloses a food weight measuring device contained within a heating chamber for measuring the weight of food placed on a turntable rotatably disposed in the heating chamber and for calculating the appropriate heating period for the food in accordance with the measured weight. Morino et al. do not contemplate displaying the weight of the food because the weight of the food is only of interest for calculating the appropriate heating period, which is done automatically.
Ohouchi, U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,970, is directed to a heating appliance, such as a microwave oven, having a turntable located therein upon which a container of food to be heated can be placed, and a weight measuring device disposed under the heating chamber for measuring either the weight of the food to be heated with the container or the weight of the container itself. In operation, the weight of the container without the food is first measured and displayed and then the weight of the container with the food is measured. The net weight of the food is then calculated and displayed.
Ohouchi does not provide for dynamic weight measuring and display, i.e., weighing and displaying the weight while the food is being prepared, as does the present invention. Rather, Ohouchi requires interaction between the user and the apparatus during operation. In accordance with Ohouchi, the user must interact with a control panel to: (1) activate the weight measuring start switch in order to measure the weight of the casing; (2) activate the weight measuring start switch to measure the weight of the casing with the food; and (3) activate the weight measuring stop button.
Therefore, neither Morino et al. nor Ohouchi teach dynamic, real time weight measurement and display so that a person preparing food can monitor the weight of the food as it is being prepared.
A cost analysis has been performed to determine how much money is lost per year due to too much icing and decorations being provided on cakes in retail in-store bakeries. It was determined that substantial losses were being incurred by each store. Therefore, a need exists in the industry for an apparatus which facilitates the preparation of food products, cakes for example, while displaying the gross weight of the food products, thereby allowing the person preparing the food to view the weight of the food while it is being prepared so that the application of excess preparation materials, such as icing can be avoided. Similarly, the present invention also allows the application of a deficient amount of preparation materials to be avoided.